Devonport is the historic Royal Naval Dockyard district at the mouth of the Tamar, its Georgian and Victorian naval architecture facing the great tidal river across the Mount Wise headland. The Tamar riverside carries sycamore, ash and thorn scrub on the embankment slopes; the dockyard perimeter walls are clothed in ivy and elder. Devonport Park provides a working urban lime avenue within walking distance of the Ker Street townscape.
Devonport Park lime avenue and horse chestnut canopy produce reliable June swarms each year. Tamar riverside sycamore and elder below Mount Wise attract clusters on warm May afternoons. Dockyard perimeter wall ivy and elder on Richmond Walk are regularly reported to Plymouth BKA. Older naval terrace chimney stacks and eaves in Albert Road and Ker Street are among the most frequent cavity swarm sites in the district.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
PL1 2AA· approx. 2 km
Visit websitePL17 8AX· approx. 17 km
Visit websitePL19 9DA· approx. 19 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Gorse on the Dartmoor edge at Roborough Down and the Plympton Hill fringe opens the season in February and March. Blackthorn and hawthorn on the Plym and Tamar valley hedgerows follow; apple blossom in the Plympton and Tamerton Foliot orchard remnants adds to the May flow. Sycamore and lime in Central Park, the Hoe gardens and Devonport Park give a reliable June city flow. Bramble is dense on the old military estate scrub at the Efford and Plymstock fringes; willowherb on the estuary embankments carries through August. The Tamar and Tavy creek-side woodland at Warleigh carries ash, hazel and wild cherry. Coastal ivy on the Sound-facing cliff gardens and the dockyard walls closes the year.
More on beekeeping in City of PlymouthReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
